Ascending thoracic aortic aneurisms (aTAAs) occur when the walls of the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, weaken and begin to bulge. This can result in rupture or dissection (a tear in the aortic wall), leading to life-threatening bleeding and death. Sometimes these complications can occur before any symptoms of the aneurysm appear. However, an international team led by Hiromi Yanagisawa at the University of Tsukuba and Katja Schenke-Layland at Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen have used Raman microspectroscopy (an analysis technique that uses Raman scattering to probe the structure of atoms and molecules) and Raman imaging to identify signatures in the fibers of the aortic wall that indicate the presence of an aneurysm.